JPH03268986A - Printer with data buffer used capacity display function - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ensure that the printing end time of a printer and the release time of a host computer from the printer can be easily predicted by counting the number of entered data and the number of output data of data buffer and displaying the number of data present in the data buffer with the storage capac ity of the data buffer. CONSTITUTION:A data buffer input data detection part 4 located halfway through a process from data input to print processing generates a single pulse each time a piece equal to a single character entered in a data buffer part 5 is detected and sends the pulse to a calculation part 1. In addition, a data buffer output data detection part 6 sends a single pulse to the calculation part 1 each time a data equal to a single character which is output from the data buffer part 5. The calculation part 1 calculates the difference between the num ber of entered data and the number of output data each time data inputs and outputs are detected, then stores the difference value and updates said value. A display part 2 reads the amount of remaining data updated in the calculation part 1 after storage and displays the current amount of stored data using a bar display technique.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a printer that stores print data sent from a host device in a data buffer and then outputs it to a printing unit for printing.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, this type of printer stores input data from a host device in a data buffer via an interface circuit until it reaches the storage capacity of the data buffer, and then converts the stored data into a control code and a print code in the print unit. Then, when the data buffer became empty, the next data from the host device was stored, which was repeated.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The conventional printer described above cannot input the next data until all the data accumulated in the data buffer is output to the printing unit, and furthermore, the usage state of the data buffer at each point in time cannot be input. Since the information is not displayed externally, there is a drawback that it is difficult to predict the time when the printer will finish printing or the time when the host device will be disconnected from the printer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a printer with a data buffer usage capacity display function that makes it easy to predict the printing end time of the printer, the release time from the printer of a host device, and the like.

[Means to solve the problem]

A printer with a data buffer usage capacity display function of the present invention includes a data buffer input data detection section that generates a pulse every time data input to the data buffer is detected, and a data buffer input data detection section that detects data output from the data buffer to a printing section. a data buffer output data detection section that generates a pulse each time the data buffer output data detection section generates a pulse, and the output pulses of the data buffer input data detection section and the data buffer output data detection section are counted, the number of output data is subtracted from the number of input data, and the number of output data is calculated. a calculation unit that calculates the number of unprocessed data existing in the buffer for each input or output of each data; and a display that displays the number of unprocessed data existing in the data buffer calculated by the calculation unit together with the storage capacity of the data buffer. It has a department.

[Function J] Every time data is input or output to the data buffer, the number of data is counted by the data buffer input detection section and the data buffer output detection section, and the calculation section calculates the number of remaining data in the data buffer from the number of input and output data. is calculated,
The number of remaining data is displayed along with the storage capacity of the data buffer.

〔Example〕

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a printer with a data buffer usage capacity display function of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, this embodiment includes a data input interface section 3, a data buffer input data detection section 4, a data buffer section 5, a data buffer output data detection section 6, a printing section 7, and a The data input interface section 3 inputs data from the host device up to the total storage capacity of the data buffer section 5 at a time, stores it in the data buffer section 5, and then outputs the data to the printing section. 7 sequentially reads data from the data buffer section 5, converts it into a control code and a print code, and drives a print head to perform printing processing. During the process from data input to printing processing, each time the data buffer input data detection unit 4 detects data equivalent to one character input to the data buffer unit 5, it generates a pulse and sends it to the calculation unit 1. Similarly, the data buffer output data detection section 6 sends one pulse to the calculation section 1 every time one character of output data from the data buffer section 5 is detected. The calculation unit 1 divides and counts these pulses for each input and output, and calculates the number of input data and the number of input data, respectively.
The number of output data is calculated, and each time an output is detected, the difference between the number of input data and the number of output data is calculated, and the value is stored and updated as the amount of unprocessed data in the data buffer section 5. The 0 display section 2 is a bar display element that is graduated with full scale as the total storage capacity of the data buffer section 5, and continuously displays the amount of remaining data that has been stored and updated in the calculation section 1, and displays the amount of data using a bar display. do.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the present invention includes a data buffer input data detection section, a data buffer output data detection section, a calculation section, and a display section, and counts the number of input data and output data of the data buffer. However, by displaying the number of data existing in the data buffer together with the storage capacity of the data buffer, it is possible to easily predict the print completion time of the printer and the release time of the host device from the printer.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plot diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a printer with a data buffer usage capacity display function of the present invention. 1... Arithmetic section, 2... Display section, 3... Data input interface section, 4...
...Data buffer input data detection section, 5...
・Data buffer section, 6...Data buffer output data detection section, 7.
...Printing section.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a printer that stores print data sent from a host device in a data buffer and then outputs it to a printing unit for printing, a pulse is generated every time data input to the data buffer is detected. a data buffer input data detection unit that generates a pulse every time it detects data output from the data buffer to the printing unit; a data buffer output data detection unit that generates a pulse each time it detects data output from the data buffer to the printing unit; a calculation unit that counts output pulses of the detection unit and subtracts the number of output data from the number of input data to calculate the number of unprocessed data existing in the data buffer for each input or output of data; A printer with a data buffer usage capacity display function, comprising: a display unit that displays the calculated number of unprocessed data existing in the data buffer together with the storage capacity of the data buffer.